A Chinese company on Tuesday donated machinery and equipment worth 200,000 US dollars to Sri Lanka for the tsunami-hit country to repair its railway tracks.

The machinery and equipment donated by China National MachineryImport and Export Corporation (CMC) include Rail Drilling Machine,Rail Cutting Machine, Hydraulic Adjusting Sleeper Tool, Hydraulic Tamping Machine, and Hydraulic Turnout Tamping Machine.

Qin Ruijuan, vice president of the CMC, said the donated machinery and facilities will be shipped on Feb. 2 and reach Colombo by early March.

She said that she hopes these donated items will service the drive of the repair and reconstruction of the railway facilities and infrastructures in Sri Lanka.

Qin Ruijuan said that the CMC is not only willing to provide Passenger Carriages, but also willing to establish long term co-operation with Sri Lanka's Transport Ministry.

"We would also like to extend our services to Sri Lanka in orderto develop the railway system specially the tracks and bridges," said Qin Ruijuan.

In expressing his thanks to the CMC, Sri Lankan Transport Minister Felix Perera said that China "has always helped Sri Lanka,whenever we were in need."

Perera said the loss of Sri Lanka Railways was estimated at 7 billion rupees (70 million US dollars).

However, Perera said the Sri Lankan government is determined tobuild the railways stronger, "as a tribute to over 40,000 lives lost" during the tsunami.

Source: Xinhua